Henderson kidnapping suspect found in Arizona jail
A 28-year-old man wanted in connection with a weekend kidnapping of a 7-year-old Henderson girl is in custody in Arizona.
Deputies from the Coconino County Sheriff’s Department arrested Matthew Hayward near Flagstaff on unrelated charges Sunday, Henderson officials said.
Hayward refused to provide identification and was identified through fingerprints on Thursday, hours after Henderson investigators issued a public request for help in locating him.
When Arizona deputies did a criminal computer search on Hayward, they discovered he was wanted in Henderson, authorities said. It was unclear Thursday what led Coconino County authorities to arrest him on Sunday.
Police allege Hayward kidnapped
7-year-old Kayla Proctor about 4 a.m. Saturday from Allegro Apartments at 951 Las Palmas Entrada Ave. in Henderson and took her to Barstow, Calif., in a hijacked taxicab.
Hayward is accused of pulling a knife on the cabdriver and ordering him to drive to Barstow. After arriving, Hayward ordered the driver out of the car and told him to take Kayla with him, police said.
Kayla was found uninjured after she was spotted by police officers. The cabdriver also was unharmed. The cab was found abandoned in the parking lot of a Barstow restaurant.
Police said Hayward was a friend of Kayla’s family but have not given a motive for the abduction.
Contact reporter Mike Blasky at mblasky@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283.